Former Diamondback Capital portfolio manager Todd Newman asked a judge for “leniency” yesterday when he is sentenced next month as part of a $72 million insider-trading conspiracy.

Newman, who faces up to 78 months in prison, claims he should receive a much lighter sentence because he pocketed only $442,761 on his trade — just 12 percent of the $4 million the government claims.

Newman was convicted by a Manhattan federal court jury in December, along with Level Global co-founder Anthony Chiasson, for illegal trades in computer maker Dell and software firm Nvidia.

In a letter to Judge Richard Sullivan yesterday, Newman’s lawyer, Stephen Fishbein, argued that the sentencing guidelines are unfair because prosecutors didn’t consider how much his client earned from the crime.

“To the extent that the gain is intended to be a measure of culpability — often thought of as a measure of ‘greed’ — it stands to reason that someone who actually receives less money should be deemed less culpable,” Fishbein said.

Newman’s friends and family also wrote letters pleading for leniency.

They described the 48-year-old former hedgie as a simple man whose life revolves around his 12-year-old daughter and her basketball games.

Newman’s daughter and he “are a team and do everything together,” Newman’s 80-year-old mother told Judge Sullivan in her letter. “A separation from her dad would be disastrous for her,” his mother said of her granddaughter.

Newman received the Dell and Nvidia stock tips from his analyst, Jesse Tortora, who shared them across a “corrupt circle of friends” that included analysts at SAC Capital Advisors and hedge fund Level Global.

In his testimony, Tortora described Newman as a “moody” and “verbally abusive” boss.

He said the only time he ever saw Newman happy was when he was being fed illicit stock tips.